Elie and Will break down the past year. Best bands, best albums, what's been trending and what's impacted the Chinese music scene in 2025, as well as some thoughts and hopes for 2026.

For more detailed lists in the written form, check out the following links:

Beehype: https://beehy.pe/best-albums-of-2025/

Live China Music Wechat: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/GznN61SlozcrSIzvXQsStQ

See below links to listen to the albums mentioned, in no particular order of our top picks:

Riot In School - Punk Rock Blasphemy

https://riotinschool.bandcamp.com/album/punk-rock-blasphemy

The Beneficial Society - The Beneficial Society

https://open.spotify.com/album/6G27ZALN3N5wE8UtoKT7pz

Linfeng - Sad But Beautiful

https://open.spotify.com/album/3BdHmNjVippCYm4uLQ7OK2

Wasted Laika - Red Dragonfly, Green Peacock

https://open.spotify.com/album/7KfjHxQBja1UWmF6LlNhlz

鸡毛大 - I Only Sing In Winter

https://open.spotify.com/album/0B96F31OU1L0VlbcCVvSk3?si=llm5CWyrQguPtoO_YupGng

施鑫文月 Gray Gray Sun

https://open.spotify.com/album/3HeO54HGPMW10gcQbllZIz?si=dYR4kvRrRSiUXJHHbqsMvw

Smiqra - Rɡyaɡ̇dźé!

https://hoplites.bandcamp.com/album/r-ya-dz-e

Cola Ren - Mekong Ballad

https://colaren.bandcamp.com/album/mekong-ballad

Khunati - Misty Mountain Pagoda

https://wvsorcerer.bandcamp.com/album/misty-mountain-pagoda

About us:

The mission of the Live China Music Podcast is to shed light on Chinese music, providing listeners with insights and information on the Chinese music scene that they would not be able to obtain elsewhere.

Every episode, hosts Elie Rosenberg and Will Griffith review the latest tracks from bands and artists living in China, spotlighting underground and emerging talent rarely heard outside Asia. Expect 4–6 freshly released songs, artist context, genre highlights, and short audio clips in each ~30-minute show.

Whether you're into Chinese indie rock, avant-pop, experimental electronic, punk, underground hip-hop, post-punk, jazz-inspired sounds, or cross-genre alt music, this is your guide to what's new and compelling in Mainland China's music world.

We systematically sign waivers with the artists or their label to ensure we do not infringe their copyright.

Hope you'll enjoy and please support by sharing around, don't hesitate to reach out by finding us on instagram (livechinamusic or zefrenchvillain) or writing to livechinamusic@gmail.com

We systematically sign waivers with the artists or their label to ensure we do not infringe their copyright.

Hope you'll enjoy and please support by sharing around, don't hesitate to reach out by finding us on instagram (livechinamusic or zefrenchvillain) or writing to livechinamusic@gmail.com

Credits:

Producer: Elie Rosenberg

Co-producer: William Griffith

Hosts: Elie Rosenberg & Will Griffith

Editor: Elie Rosenberg